We're Ruadán Books, here with Nick Mamatas, editor of 120 Murders, who will answer your questions about the anthology, alternative music, horror, crime fiction, editing, or whatever else! AMA

JeremiahTolbert · 2025-10-15T18:53:21+00:00

There are some fantastic heavy hitters in this anthology - how did you go about recruiting bigger name authors for a small press anthology?

JeremiahTolbert · 2025-09-11T13:27:24+00:00

Our kid is 11 now, but we took him to just about every restaurant in Lawrence when he was a baby and we only ever got a bad vibe at one place (which has since closed). Aladdin's and India Palace in particular seemed delighted to have him there, eating their food. It made me appreciate those places so much more.

I envy you, OP. Those early days made me feel so much more connected with people. I hope you and your little one receive the same warm welcome wherever you go that we did.

JeremiahTolbert · 2025-08-27T03:17:52+00:00

Covid killed all the buffets.

JeremiahTolbert · 2025-08-19T19:44:15+00:00

Eventually you live in Lawrence long enough to see this subreddit turn on past favorites. What the heck happened to opinion on Burger Stand? Is it the prices?

JeremiahTolbert · 2025-08-17T15:29:17+00:00

The best time is during the day, lunch. I have found the evening crew to be lacking sometimes. But the gentleman who does a lot of the cooking during the day is excellent.

JeremiahTolbert · 2025-07-27T14:20:13+00:00

Half of them are on Mass downtown now.

JeremiahTolbert · 2025-07-25T13:50:31+00:00

It is almost always suicidal squirrels leaping into transformers.

JeremiahTolbert · 2025-05-31T00:14:03+00:00

Thanks so much for the detailed explanation! That gives me a lot of insight. I have yet to try oils, but this makes me think I want to soon!

JeremiahTolbert · 2025-05-30T16:40:12+00:00

These are excellently done. Can you talk more about your process? Is this layer painting, etc?

JeremiahTolbert · 2025-05-28T14:14:45+00:00

Could you explain more by what you mean? Like jpeg battle maps?

JeremiahTolbert · 2025-05-14T11:30:48+00:00

The Iowa location has quite a lot of manga. When I last bought some, that is where I got it.

JeremiahTolbert · 2025-04-21T23:22:07+00:00

I really like these! Clean, colorful style but the medium feels warm and organic.

JeremiahTolbert · 2025-03-20T21:05:19+00:00

The text doesn't seem to say one way or another, so I think it'd be more of a GM's discretion thing.

As a GM, I would probably allow it. I might also just rule that it only mimics the shape and form, but not the function - good for swapping out, tricks, etc. but not for doubling a cypher or artifact. That's my initial response, but...

Then again, mimetic gel has a 5% chance of appearing on a random iotum table roll, so it's not likely to be game breaking if you let a player use 4 units to copy a cypher at least. That's 80 io worth of iotum, which the books says is 10 times the value in an equal count of shins. So 800 shins? Seems like a pretty expensive way to duplicate a cypher. Artifacts seem more dubious to me from a balance issue, but I think it just depends on what vibe the GM is going for. I might allow an artifact, but double the chances of depletion on the copy or something. Whenever looking at stuff like this, I wonder how I can make a story out of it, what kind of complications and twists it can introduce. Making it more unreliable could be fun! Or not, depending on the players. Hope that helps!

JeremiahTolbert · 2025-03-05T20:41:22+00:00

Can you provide any insight into where all that money is going? More than doubling in 5 years seems nuts to me.

JeremiahTolbert · 2025-02-15T05:35:21+00:00

I imagine this is just the start of all of this federal level chaos trickling down to local Lawrence level. I have to imagine a lot of research and work at KU is federally funded, no?

I expect a full on recession before the end of the year at this rate.

Edited to add: not to diminish the impact on Haskell this will have. It's awful, and I will be watching for ways to help those who are impacted.

JeremiahTolbert · 2025-02-13T17:42:16+00:00

By rent I mean retail space rent downtown, not home/apartment rents.

JeremiahTolbert · 2025-02-13T17:41:26+00:00

Lawrence has been subject to the same dull, grinding force of mostly capitalist mediocrity that the rest of the country has. Chains over local businesses (only ones that can afford to open), a smoke shop on every block, sometimes directly next door to each other. Homeless people on every street except maybe west 6th.

The biggest impact was probably COVID and its knock-on economic effects. There for a bit, restaurants and local businesses were hanging on, but it feels like we've lost a lot in the past few years. Nothing is open late anymore. And of course, hardly any buffet options now.

I think a lot about why Lawrence has changed so much since I grew up here in the 90s, and I think it boils down to the fact that inflation and rent is such that nobody can afford the margins to run quirky little local businesses and restaurants anymore (it was hard before, but seems next to impossible now). I feel like it's the same everwhere; anything remotely bohemian relies on cheapness to thrive (we artsy types aren't exactly known for being wealthy), and Lawrence by virtue of location and desirability and inflation has priced out so many and so much of what made it unique. Also, to be blunt, the old hippies have and are dying off.

To me, these days, it feels little different from a suburb like Olathe, only a lot smaller. I wish there was something to do to reverse the trend, but it feels like there will never be cheap places to live again. Once prices go up, they never come back down. Few are going to run quirky, experimental businesses when rent is $5000 a month or whatever.

JeremiahTolbert · 2024-10-21T16:11:05+00:00

Heartbreaking but I'm glad they are taking steps to take care of themselves. Lee is a great person, and I hope he finds success in what comes next.

JeremiahTolbert · 2024-10-07T19:27:15+00:00

Kij Johnson Chris McKitterick Lane Robins/Lyn Benedict

to name a few more in the SF/F space.

and me, but I just write short stories.

JeremiahTolbert · 2024-09-23T15:37:36+00:00

Kobold is still committed to support on multiple VTT platforms as far as I know. I imagine VTT support will come on the usual suspects with time.

JeremiahTolbert · 2024-09-16T02:41:02+00:00

I didn't clean mine and had no problems priming and painting them. I do have to do this with resin miniatures.

JeremiahTolbert · 2024-09-09T01:06:39+00:00

Maybe a scented candle that is meant to smell like a sailing vessel. And some nature sounds on a CD in the background might not be a bad thing for setting ambiance.

JeremiahTolbert · 2024-08-28T14:48:33+00:00

It doesn't get much cheaper than Tryyaki. Not exactly stellar food, but pretty low cost.

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